Select Medical Corporation contributed $1.2 million for the construction of the new building.
"The dedication of the Select Medical Health Education Pavilion at HACC is an important event in our community," said Robert A. Ortenzio, Chief Executive Officer of Select Medical Corporation. "The Pavilion will allow HACC to increase enrollments in its health career programs, which is crucial given the growing shortage of health care professionals. Select Medical is proud to partner with HACC to actively support the higher education process and to attract and inspire the health care professionals of the future."
In addition to Select Medical's gift, another major contribution came from Governor and Mrs. George M. Leader in the amount of half million dollars to build a specialized nursing lab. Governor Leader is also co-chair of the capital campaign to raise funds for construction and equipment.
With the start of the fall semester, the pavilion now houses the college's health careers programs including the nursing, respiratory therapy and dental assisting, hygiene, and expanded function dental auxiliary programs. It also is home to the college's nursing assistants training and EMT/Paramedic careers.
During the dedication, HACC students demonstrated the SimMan patient simulator, which resembles a mannequin but takes advantage of advanced software and computer interfaces to create an extremely realistic and programmable student learning experience. The college purchased the life-like patient simulator with a $51,759 gift from the Carlisle Area Health and Wellness Foundation.
Benefits of simulation include realistic preparation for rare and difficult cases; errors are allowed; no harm to patients; identical scenarios can be repeated; and team interaction and leadership can realistically be practiced.
"We can offer students the most advanced techniques in patient care. Students can confront problems programmed into the 'patient' and learn how to administer appropriate care, which ultimately lowers the risk of medical errors," said Dr. Baehre.
The simulators have heartbeats, lung and bowel sounds. Students can practice inserting an IV, giving injections, intubation, catheterization, and other procedures.
Simulators can be programmed to display the symptoms of a variety of diseases. Special wound kits allow students to practice wound assessment, bleeding control, and infection prevention. Instructors can record voice messages for the simulator, allowing it to "talk" to the student.
Sophisticated computer software also allows the simulator to respond to the care it receives. Students use appropriate and effective care and the "patient" improves. Likewise, symptoms will worsen if inappropriate choices are made. Unlike older practice mannequins, which were static and unresponsive, the new patient simulators can be "healed" with proper care.
The opening of the Health Education Pavilion means that students enrolled in one of HACC's 27 different healthcare programs have access to a state-of-the-art educational facility.
The Leader Nursing Education Center is the new home for HACC's registered and practical nursing programs. The center is designed for practice-based, hands-on education and features 20 nursing units with hospital beds and all the associated equipment.
The pavilion also includes microbiology and chemistry labs, a specialized training center for nursing and respiratory therapy, as well as the college's dental hygiene clinic that offers dental services to the public.
The clinic is designed for easy public access and features 20 chairs, a group instruction area, six X-ray areas, darkroom, sterilization area for instruments and locker room.
The opening of the Health Education Pavilion has had an immediate impact on faculty and students, according to Thomas Starke, PhD, dean of HACC's math, science and allied health division.
"The technology, the added space and the building atmosphere make a huge difference for everyone," said Starke, adding that instructors have noticed students making a point to stay beyond regular class time to practice their skills. "This facility guarantees that the students will get the most up-to-date and the best education we can provide."